Official data source strategy

Why data provenance matters

Tariff rates are not a single static number. A real import estimate may depend on classification, origin, destination, preferential programs, trade-remedy duties, quotas, exclusions, valuation rules, and the date of import.

Because official tariff data is often public, TariffsChart should not charge users merely to see a rate that already exists elsewhere. The paid product should save time by combining source links, snapshots, assumptions, change alerts, scenario history, and broker-ready exports.

Initial official sources to support

For the first paid data connectors, prioritize sources that are public, authoritative, and commercially valuable:

• United States: USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule data and HTS search
• European Union: TARIC, including third-country duty, preferences, quotas, trade-defence measures, prohibitions, and restrictions
• United Kingdom: UK Integrated Online Tariff
• Canada: Customs Tariff and CBSA guidance
• Australia: Australian Border Force tariff classification resources
• World Customs Organization: HS nomenclature and HS review-cycle updates

What the product should show for every rate

Each tariff lookup or chart should show:

1. Source name and link
2. Source retrieval date and cached version
3. Importing country or customs territory
4. HS/HTS/CN/TARIC code level used
5. Origin country used for the lookup
6. Base duty, additional duty, tax, fee, and quota assumptions separately
7. Whether the result is official, inferred, user-entered, or broker-confirmed
8. A warning when the product description is insufficient to classify the item confidently

Do not hide uncertainty

The safest product posture is to make uncertainty visible. When TariffsChart cannot determine a rate or trade program eligibility, it should show a missing-data state instead of guessing. AI-assisted HS research should be labeled as research support, not a final classification decision.

What is live now

TariffsChart now supports manual source snapshots, China → United States official-source research v1, and source-monitor change alerts. Pro beta and Team pilot users can run a best-effort USITC HTS lookup, generate HTS/CROSS/Section 301/USTR/AD-CVD/IEEPA checklist items, save source snapshot drafts, and monitor allowlisted official sources for fingerprint changes. This is still not guaranteed rate extraction: TariffsChart only auto-applies simple Free or plain x% general-duty fields for planning, and all trade-remedy, scope, Chapter 99, exclusion, and classification questions remain broker-review items. Change alerts are prompts for review, not final determinations.

Paid connector roadmap

The first paid connector does not need to cover the whole world. A better launch target is one high-intent lane, such as China to United States or China to European Union, with excellent source citations, update history, and exportable evidence.